I want to learn Thai, but where to start?

[thewetlettuce]

I speak English and cannot speak any other languages other than a few phrases here and there.

 

One thing I've always struggled with, is the way in which sentences are formed such as:

 

"I am 25 years old" might be said as "25 years old I am" in other languages.

 

With Thai, I know there are tones to contend with and will take some getting used to.

 

Pronouncing words isn't too difficult for me and seems far less complicated than some other European languages, but a challenge non the less!

 

I am trying to look for logic, hoping to find a direct translation for words so that I may form my own sentences, but it doesn't appear to work like that?

 

A sentence containing the word "how" may have no link to another sentence containing the word "how"!

 

So my question is, apart from learning the obvious greetings and counting numbers etc, what is the best advice someone can give me when learning Thai (using the Internet as resource)?

 

Thanks in advance.

[Frank2010]

Yes there are good sites on the internet also i have heard that there are some good software packages around also so you might want to look into that,i found the best way i learnt to speak thai was when i lived and worked in Thailand,day to day everything from going to the market the bank and everything inbetween and yes all the bars and bar girls even did there part, all be it along time ago i can still remember quite abit of it.Well anyways good luck.

[Dr.Winston]

I learned with courses based upon books in use with CD's (cassette tapes then). I also paid a Thai to go over the weeks study with me once a week. I really got on with that approach but some people prefer lessons with a teacher to books or PDF files.

 

Check the Thai language section of the forum because many have posted downloadable Thai courses on the forum. Search the torrent sites also. Although Thai grammar is different to English I actually find it to be very simple, there are no tenses to deal with or plurals for example. The tones and only come with time and practise but are nothing to get hung up about at the beginning, just work on through it until it starts to fall into place. If you're serious about learning then tackle Thai script (after you can speak a bit). The alphabet is easy to learn although word construction is more difficult. My best advice is to not swamnp yourself and just limit your studies to 30 minutes every day even if you feel keen to do more. That way you stand more chance of actually remembering what you have learned and will be looking foirward to the next lesson.

[Ajay75]

It can be a bit daunting when you first start learning and you have to find a learning method that works for you. I spent the first 6-8 months trying to find a learning method which really had the best effect to helping me remember and apply what I had learnt with my language teacher. I like you had never learnt another language before and its difficult to know how to start and what to do as theres so much information that it can feel overwhelming.

 

Just take things slowly and one step at a time. Don't set yourself unrealistic goals. You won't be fluent within a year. It takes time especially when learning part time and not having the chance to interact with Thais on a regular basis. Thats the reason I decided to get a teacher to give me the chance to interact for a few hours a week with a native speaker. Although textbooks and other online sources are good, a teacher can provide a more life like experience as to how Thai's speak in real life, provide additional help with pronounciation, context of using language in the right situations, and help explain cultural aspects into the way Thai's think.

 

 

There are some decent articles in the below link about learning a second language and various tips / experiences

 

Language Lovers Blog List

[kuffki]

My best advice would be to go to school or get a thai tutor.

One thing is knowing the words but another the tones.

Should you not get the tones right, most Thai's will not make any effort to understand you.

 

also some books/sites/tapes teach formal Thai, some teach informal and its good to know what is what.

 

From my experience i think reading is very very important because then you can actually pronounce the words correctly

[CoByau]

When learning any language.. your number 1 tool will be to create an environment that forces you to listen/read/speak Thai.

 

Obviously living in Thailand would be the best bet... but if you can't do that... find some friendships in the Thai community in your area.

Start going to their events.. try to make friends with some and see them regularly!

 

But the most important aspect I have to stress on a forum like this is.. if you are getting a Thai GF .. get one that actually WANTS you to be able to speak Thai.

I know alot of farang that goto Thailand and have Thai wives/partners (normally ex-bargirls) that do NOT help them to learn Thai .. mostly because they are only with them for their money, and if they learn to understand/speak Thai .. they can no longer talk behind their backs, and risk getting caught out.

 

As for where to learn .. I just posted a thread with some great videos to help you learn to read the script .. I can not stress the importance of this enough... do not just "learn to speak".

 

Also, Thai people do not learn their language in our concept of "tones" .. try treating each word completely different rather than "mai - mid tone" "mai - low tone" etc.... Then you only need to remember the word and the way it sounds in your head/memory rather than the word AND the tone.

 

Immerse yourself in everything Thai ... Movies.. music... TV shows ... You will learn how people REALLY speak .. rather than what was written in a language book 40 years ago by a 40 year old.

 

>>>>Do NOT use any informal pronouns (referring to yourself or others) until you have a close circle of friends you can speak freely with and you fully understand the usage of the pronouns.<< Depending on the pronoun you will sound either very stupid, or very offensive

 

Also .. the pimsleur Thai series was a great resource to kick start your journey! gives you a lot of handy phrases

Edited May 6, 2010 by CoByau

[US-Farang]

There are a lot of resources out there, some really good and others, not so good. Thai grammar is very different from English grammar, which is probably a good thing for a learner because it means you can't just learn vocabulary and try to do "direct translation."

 

Since you asked where to start, I'd recommend beginning with the Pimsleur Thai CD's. It's a 15-hour audio course that doesn't teach a huge amount, but gives you a useful foundation for further study, teaches a decent amount of vocabulary, and introduces some basic grammar. When I was starting to learn, I tried Rosetta Stone (almost useless, execept for vocabulary), books, and a some websites, but Pimsleur was the first thing that made me feel like I was really making progress. The Pimsleur CD's are expensive, but you can probably check them out from your local library or even download them from the internet.

 

I definitely recommend learning to read Thai, too. Thai script is very different than Roman script, but you get used to it pretty quickly. I learned to read Thai using children's books (including the Manee books widely reproduced on the internet as well as some that I bought in Thailand), but I recently discovered the Thai-enhanced FSI course online at http://www.thailanguagewiki.com/ which can help, too. Thai writing is even more phoenetic than English, so it will definitely help a lot, and it opens up lots of new options for study (books, newspapers, etc.).

 

A few websites that can help:

 

http://www.thailanguagewiki.com/

http://www.thai-language.com/

http://www.learningthai.com/

 

Honestly, the biggest challenge for me in learning Thai was/is (I'm still learning) the grammar. Thai doesn't have much in the way of verb tenses, persons, or cases, but does use a lot of paticiples, unlike English. It's hard to learn proper use of the participles without actually having experience with them. For example "arai" "arai na" and "arai wa", while all translated as "What?" have very different meanings in everyday use. (The first might be "huh?", the second, "Sorry?", and the third "WTF?")

[thewetlettuce]

ok... NOW I'M OVERWHELMED! lol

 

Thanks for the advice everyone.

 

I will certainly check out the links you have provided and try the audio CD's recommended to me.

 

I guess everyone has to start somewhere

 

Cheers guys

[Ajay75]

ok... NOW I'M OVERWHELMED! lol

 

Thanks for the advice everyone.

 

I will certainly check out the links you have provided and try the audio CD's recommended to me.

 

I guess everyone has to start somewhere

 

Cheers guys

 

I think the easiest starting point is to learn things which you can use in everyday situations. Think about what you can use and what may / may not be said in response to what you say. You have to be prepared for saying things and then getting a response otherwise you'll just be stood there without anything else to say. Unfortunately textbooks/internet/audio courses will only provide a formulaic answer which doesn't help much if the response strays from what you've learn (hence the advantages of a teacher).

 

Learn around subjects like:

 

Ordering food

Asking for the checkbin

Directions

Asking for things in your hotel/apartment/laundry

General questions about someone and their life

Asking where somewhere is located

Greetings / personal pro-nouns

Numbers

Days of the week

Months of the year

Asking / Telling the time

Useful phrases (e.g. I don't speak Thai, Do you want a drink, Lets take a taxi, Do you want to go together etc)

and most importantly MONETARY amounts

 

It's not worth learning vocab / sentences which you'll only end up using once in a blue moon. Start as generic as possible but keep it very simple and don't learn any curse words or things that are disrespectful. People think they are cool and it makes the girls laugh speaking words that they don't really understand just because in western culture swearing doesn't really mean much and its used commonly. It doesnt and just creates a bad impression even though nobody will ever say anything (to your face at least).

Edited May 7, 2010 by Ajay75

[sangthip]

In Pattaya have so many scools for learn thai. You luke in the newspaper or different website, found quickly informations.

Good luke for you.

[Bakwan]

I would recommend taking some classes at one of the Thai language schools in Pattaya or Bangkok. But for self-study, consider the following:

 

 

http://www.highspeedthai.com/

 

http://www.paiboonpublishing.com/details.php?prodId=68

 

http://word-in-the-hand.com/thaidictwin_ov.html

 

http://www.paiboonpublishing.com/details.php?prodId=30

 

 

Good Luck! ( โชคดี chôok-dii )

 

 

Bakwan

[pubstud]

The problem with starting off learning Thai for everyday situations, such as asking for directions and ordering meals, is these are often rather complicated sentences and difficult to remember and pronounce.

 

The best way to learn Thai is to learn the way Thais do. Start off with the kiddies books, learn the alphabet (easy actually) and learn all the basic vocab' and easy beginning sentences - the uncle takes the grandfather to the ricefield to see the crow looking at the crab - buy the kiddies books from a bookstore and get Thais to help you wherever you are. You'll find gals in restaurants and bars will assist you with the reading. Once you suss out the Thai alphabet then you will always pronounce a word correctly because the rules for pronunciation are fixed and don't vary like English.

[NorCalKid]

The full Pimsleur 30 lesson Thai set is available on Pirate Bay. Might be a good free way to get your feet wet.

[pubstud]

Thanks for that tip NorCalKid, is there a book for that course? Or is it listening only? I have downloaded it but not got into it yet.

[herds]

The pimsleur method isbased on spaced repitition rather than learning the normal linear drill way so takes a little while before you start remembering things, personally I think Pimsfleur is pretty good some of stuff is dated but the structure remains and as you're starting I would say it's better to learn the long way of saying things before the short.

[Reaper_gfx]

im in the middle of downloading the pimsleur method to keep my occupied. unfortunantley i dont get the time to stay at home and use study book because of my hectic work schedules so audio cd's/books will be the way for me to go. and hopefully when i find a new job ill get the time to be able to get tuition. im hoping that since i can speak a few sentences in other languages that i might be a bit easier to remember things.

[pubstud]

Some years ago I bought a cd in Thailand that has a Thai language course put together by the Australian RAAF language department. It seems very good. Does anyone know more or have any opinions about this course?

[MONOCHROMEMAN]

what ajay says: use general utility words (words you can use in more than 1 situation)

 

I'd learn the alphabet as a parallel/break from the rest of your learning. I now think this is the BEST thing anyone serious about the language should do.

[MONOCHROMEMAN]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pimsleur_language_learning_system

 

i wouldn't rank it high on efficiency though.

[loveulongtime2]

Find out what language you actually need to speak. Isaan or Thai. 95% of our girlfriends are from Isaan. If you learn isaan then you learn Thai with it. If yoou learn Thai it will be hard to pick up any Isaan. A good course is learnspeakthaidotcom. No bullshit, you learn what you need. With DVD and book in colour.

 

[Ajay75]

Find out what language you actually need to speak. Isaan or Thai. 95% of our girlfriends are from Isaan. If you learn isaan then you learn Thai with it. If yoou learn Thai it will be hard to pick up any Isaan. A good course is learnspeakthaidotcom. No bullshit, you learn what you need. With DVD and book in colour.

 

 

Agree totally, there is probably about 20-30 difference in vocab between Thai and Laos but all the structures will be pretty much the same.

 

My teache would kick my ass if I started speaking laos tho :-/

[Cunning STunts]

Some really sound advice on here and some great links to help learn the language

 

Thanks People

[ronnier888]

i like using cds because you need to hear the intonation. go to amazon.com and buy the book and cd thai for lovers.

[Slacker]

Find out what language you actually need to speak. Isaan or Thai. 95% of our girlfriends are from Isaan. If you learn isaan then you learn Thai with it. If yoou learn Thai it will be hard to pick up any Isaan...{/quote]

 

I think your percentages may be slightly off - I've met plenty that have been no further North than myself. If you learn regular Thai your BG and everyone else will understand you - if you get along with this OK, then start on regional dialects.

[Raistx]

Learn Thai the Bon's Way

 

Youtube series, looks like around 18 lessons.

 

Not sure if this is any good but she's cute